Machine for printing on cylindrical articles



April 26, 1949. C. H. CHEESEMAN MACHINE FOR PRINTING ON CYLINDHICALARTICLES Filed Feb. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 26, 1949.

C. H. CHEESEMAN MACHINE FOR PRINTING ON CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES Filed Feb.I3, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fammi? 24 Ch arles H C/veasema n d?? PatentedApr. 26, 1949 MACHINE FOR PRINTING ON CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES Charles H.Cheeseman, Keene, N. H., assignor to Markem Machine Company, Keene, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Application February 13, 1945, SerialNo. 577,617

(Cl. lOl- 3.6)

3 Claims. l

This invention relates to marking machines and particularly to markingmachines designed for making an imprint on articles having a hardnonyielding surface which may not be perfectly true but which may havesome irregularities.

For making an imprint on articles of this type, it is common practice touse a printing plate of rubber or some other yielding material whichcarries on its face the proper type characters for making the desiredimprint, the yielding material oi the type plate enabling the typecharacters to readily conform to any irregularities in the surface ofthe articles, thereby producing an even imprint regardless of suchirregularities.

As an illustration of articles of this type, reference may be made toglass ampules, vials and similar small cylindrical articles. The surfaceof such articles is very apt to depart somewhat from a true cylindricalsurface.

In marking a lot of articles of this type, it is sometimes desirablethat certain groups of the lot should be provided with some specialimprint in the way of an identifying number or letter in addition t theimprint which is made on all the articles of the lot.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a novel printingwheel for making an imprint on articles of the type above referred toand which is equipped not only with the printing plate of rubber orother yielding material but is also equipped with specialinterchangeable type by which the identifying numbers or letters can beimprinted on the article in addition to the imprint made by the printingplate.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means foryieldingly supporting the individual type so that during the printingoperation, each type may yield as necessary to conform to anyirregularities in the surface on which the imprint is made, whereby aneven imprint of the identifying number or letters will be made.notwithstanding any irregularities in the surface receiving the imprint.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate my invention as it might beapplied to a marking machine of the type illustrated in applicationSerial No. 563,329, led November 14, 1944 by Charles F. Robbins. Themachine in said application comprises a printing wheel having atypeplate of rubber circumferentially mounted thereon and a holder forthe cylindrical article located above the printing wheel and providedwith a through opening in which the cylindrical article may be placed sothat it rests on the printing wheel. The rotation of the printing wheelcauses the article to rotate in said opening, and thereby the printedimpression is made on the cylindrical article. 1

Inasmuch as the present invention relates to the printing wheel with theprinted plate mounted thereon and having associated therewith theindividual yieldingly mounted type, I have not thought it necessary toillustrate herein the complete marking machine and have, therefore,contented myself with illustrating the printing wheel itself.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view with part broken out showing a printing wheelembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the printing wheel shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Fig 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a view of one of the interchangeable type which is used inconnection with the printing plate.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the means for yieldingly supporting thetype.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of a cylindrical article which has receivedits imprint from the type wheel herein illustrated.

The type wheel embodying my invention is indicated generally at I and itis shown as mounted on a shaft 2 by which it is rotated. The type wheelis formed with a body portion that is provided with a cylindricalsurface 3 on which is mounted a type plate 4 carrying on its surfaceappropriate type characters for making the desired imprint on thearticle, which in the present case is a small cylindrical article 5 inthe form of a glass ampule or a glass vial. One Way of holding the smallcylindrical article 5 while the imprint is being made thereon is bymeans of a holder 6 which is located above the printing wheel and isprovided with a through opening 1 of a size to freely receive thearticle 5 so that when the article is placed in the opening 1, it willrest on the printing wheel as shown in Fig. 4. With make the imprint onthe article as shown at 8 in Fig. 8.

9 illustrates a hold-down roll which may be mounted to move toward andfrom the holder 6 and constructed to apply sufficient pressure to thearticle 5 during the printing operation to insure the making of asatisfactory imprint. The parts thus far described may have theconstruction of similar parts referred to in said co-pending applicationSer. No. 563,329.

As stated above in marking a large lot of articles 5 it is sometimesdesirable to have certain small portions of each lot provided with someidentifying number or character in addition to the imprint which is madeby the type plate 4, and to provide for this I have equipped theprinting wheel with a plurality of individual interchangeable type whichare associated with the printing plate 4 and are yieldingly supported sothat when the printing wheel I is rotated to make the printedimpression, said type will provide the impression with the desiredidentifying number or letters.

The type wheel I is shown as having a central recess or chamber I in itsouter end which is enclosed by the portion of the type wheel thatcarries the cylindrical surface 3 on which the type plate or printingplate 4 is mounted, and it is also provided with a radial opening IIleading from the periphery into said chamber. This radial opening is forthe purpose oi receiving a plurality of type inserts I2 such as shown inFig. 6 and by which the identifying number or letters can be printed onthe article 5. Each type insert I2 is preferably provided with a metalbody I3 and is type high, and on its outer end is mounted a rubber blockI4 carrying a type character I5.

The printing plate 4 is provided with an opening I6 through which thetype inserts project. Said type inserts are yieldingly supported inposition so that the type characters I thereon register with the typecharacters on the printing plate 4.

For yieldingly supporting these type inserts in the opening I I, Ipropose to employ spring means which is equipped with individual springelements, one for each type insert, and which bear against the inner endI'I of the type inserts. One form of spring means for supporting thetype inserts is shown in Fig. 7, and it comprises a plate I8 curved tofit the peripheral wall I9 of the recess I Il and secured to said wallby a suitable screw 2s.

This plate is provided with a plurality of slits 2| which form betweenthem ngers 22 which extend transversely of the radial opening I I, therebeing one such finger for each type insert. The member I8 is so securedin position that the free ends of the iingers 22 extend beneath theopening II in which the type inserts are located so that the inner endI7 of each type insert rests on one of the fingers 22. These ngers 22are made with considerable resiliency and are, therefore, in the natureof spring iingers.

The member I8 is also provided with two upstanding type-positioning arms23 between which the type inserts I2 are located, said arms beinglocated in the opening Il and extending radially of the printing wheelandserving to retain the type inserts in proper position.

There is also provided means for limiting the outward radial movement ofeach type insert 4 while permitting its inward yielding movement againstthe action of its spring 22.

As herein shown each type insert is made with an outwardly facingshoulder 24 and the type wheel is equipped with a stop member 25 adaptedto engage the shoulders 24 of the type I2 and thus prevent outwardmovement thereof.

This stop member 25 is illustrated as pivotally mounted on a stud 26,and it is acted upon by springs 21 which yieldingly urge it towards thetype member and into engagement with the upright arms 23. These arms areso positioned that when the stop member 25 is resting against them asshown in Fig. 4, said member is spaced slightly from the side of thetype inserts so that the latter are free to move inwardly against theaction of the springs 22.

The stop member 25 is shown as having a projection 29 on its outer sideby which the operator may swing said stop member backwardly against thesprings 21 in order to release said member from the shoulders 24.

When the type inserts are to be installed in the type wheel, theoperator will press on the projection 29 and thus swing the stop memberbackwardly against the action of the springs 21, and while the member isso held in its retracted position, the desired type inserts may bedropped into the opening II onto the springs 22. When such type insertsare in place, then the operator will release the stop member 25 and thesprings 21 will urge it forwardly into operative position in contactwith the upright arms 23, thus bringing it over the shoulders 24 of thetype inserts and locking them in place.

With the type inserts thus installed in the type wheel, the machine isready for operation. The operator will then place a cylindrical articlein the opening 1 of the holder 6 and as the type Wheel is rotated boththe printing plate 4 and the type inserts will make a printed impressionon the article. If the surface of the article is irregular in any way,each type insert will yield inwardly against the action of its spring 22as necessary to conform to such irregularities and thereby the imprintwhich the type inserts make on the article will be an even onenotwithstanding any irregularities in the surface of the article.

I claim:

l. A rotary printing wheel for a marking machine having a cylindricaltype-holding portion, a central chamber enclosed by said type-holdingportion and a radial opening extending through said type-holding portionand communicating with said chamber, a printing plate carried by saidtype-holding portion, a plurality of individual type inserts occupyingsaid radial opening, and a type-supporting member within said centralchamber, said type-supporting member presenting a plurality of springfingers, one for each type insert, `which extend transversely of saidopening and on which the inner end of the type inserts rest, saidtype-supporting member also presenting two radially-extendingpositioning fingers between which the type inserts are received.

2. A rotary printing Wheel for a marking machine, said printing wheelhaving a cylindrical type-holding portion, a central chamber enclosed bysaid type-holding portion and a radial opening extending through saidtype-holding portion and communicating with the chamber, a printingplate carried by `the type-holding portion and provided with an openingregistering with said radial opening, a plurality of individual typeinserts occupying said radial opening and said opening of the printingplate, a type-supporting member within said central chamber and securedto the peripheral wall thereof, said type-supporting member having aplurality of spring ngers, one for each type insert, which extendtransversely of said radial opening and on which the inner ends of thetype inserts rest, and by which they are yieldingly supported.

3. A rotary cylindrical printing wheel for a marking machine having aninterior chamber extending axially thereof from one end, the portion ofthe wheel surrounding said chamber constituting a type-holding portionand having a radial opening extending therethrough, a printing platecarried by said type-holding portion, a plurality of individual typeinserts occupying said radial opening, a type supporting member Withinsaid chamber and provided with a plurality of independently yeldabletype supporting ngers, one for each type insert, which ngers extendtransversely of said opening in a direction circumferentially of theprinting wheel, each type insert hav- REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 624,932 Heany May 16, 18991,572,062 Ahlburg Feb. 9, 1926 1,769,583 Lamb et al July 1, 19302,184,510 Adams Dec. 26, 1939 2,263,893 Schulman Nov. 25, 1941

